Arrest May Crack Drug Ring, Police Say

A Lake Park man who authorities say is a kingpin in a massive Palm Beach County drug-smuggling operation was charged Thursday with conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

Rodney Hardin, 28, who lives in a $300,000 house on 69th Drive North, was booked into the County Jail on $150,000 bail after agents arrested him at his home around 5:30 p.m., said Lt. Tom Thompson of the sheriff`s organized crime bureau.

``We feel we`ve broken up one of the largest smuggling operations in the north end,`` said Thompson. ``And we expect to make a lot more arrests in the next few days.``

Hardin`s arrest topped a three-month investigation and was directly related to the arrest on cocaine charges Monday of two North Carolina men, Thompson said.

Timothy Stokely, 23, and Glenn Andrews, 32, both of Wilmington, N.C., were driving north on Florida`s Turnpike when they were stopped by sheriff`s officers and Florida Highway Patrol troopers near the Jupiter exit, he said. After getting permission to search the car, officers found more than two kilograms of cocaine, Thompson said.

Hardin, who told investigators he is a fisherman, owns hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate, including a house in Stuart, according to Thompson. He also owns several boats and a $235,000 home on Coconut Road near Palm Beach Gardens where lawmen seized 1,788 pounds of cocaine in June, Thompson said.

Hardin was not implicated in that case, but Thompson said he rented the house to a group of drug smugglers who were arrested by a task force of more than 60 police and drug agents. Among the 10 people arrested was Jose Yero, 26, a Cuban known in drug circles as ``Coca-Cola.``

Thompson said that Hardin, who has no previous criminal record, is represented by prominent West Palm Beach defense attorney David Roth. Hardin is scheduled for a first appearance today at the County Jail courthouse.

Hardin is married and has two children, Thompson said. He said the Sheriff`s Office has obtained a subpoena from the state attorney`s office to question Hardin`s wife this morning.